Project Blue Book Case File
Sandia Base, N.M., February 1949 - Incident Number: [Illegible]February 1949
Summary
On the morning of February 17, 1949, a Master Sergeant named John P. Mitchell was stationed at Sandia Base near Albuquerque, New Mexico. At 0552 hours (5:52 a.m.), he spotted an unusual object in the sky. Mitchell was a former anti-aircraft gunner, which gave him training in recognizing aircraft.
What Mitchell saw was a ball-shaped object with a trailing tail. The body was orange red, like fire, and the tail glowed blue like a gas flame. He estimated the object was about one-third the size of the half-moon that was visible in the western sky. The object moved from northeast to southeast, descending at a steep angle. Mitchell said it looked like a damaged aircraft, one hit by anti-aircraft fire and spiraling out of control. He estimated its altitude at between 10,000 and 15,000 feet. During its passage, the object made a bright blue exhaust trail four to five times longer than the object itself.
The sighting lasted between five and seven seconds. An officer on the ground recorded the object's position using transit measurements taken at 0750 hours (7:50 a.m.), noting the angle and compass direction of both its appearance and disappearance. Mitchell heard no distinctive sound, though considerable noise from nearby Kirtland Air Force Base drowned out any quieter noises. The Air Force file notes that the object's speed was estimated to resemble a P-80 jet aircraft. The file itself does not state a final conclusion about what the object was. No photographs were taken, and Mitchell was the only witness.
The full case file is reproduced below as it is held by the National Archives, comprising 6 scanned pages.
Reported location
Sandia Base, N.M., February 1949 - Incident Number: [Illegible]
Date of incident
February 1949
State / country
? / XX
Page count
6 scanned pages
USAF evaluation
unknown
Microfilm
T1206, Roll 4